


Of Thoughts And Phobias

by SandsScribbles



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety Attacks, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22559887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandsScribbles/pseuds/SandsScribbles
Summary: One misclick is all it takes to completely derail his life. What started off as Sean trying to understand his new powers quickly turns into a fight for his life.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Just The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAA first work on here! I've been working of this project for a few years now and I need a place to put it! So. Here you go I guess. This story is about Jackieboyman but the tags don't recognize the name. This first chapter's pretty old, so.. be kind

"And I will see all you dudes" he paused, raising his arms up high "IN THE NEXT VIDEO!"

Sean tapped the button on the camera to stop the recording and stretched.

Pulling his headphones around his neck, he compiled the files to send to Robin before his pocket started buzzing.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. Emails, some missed phone calls, and few messages from Ethan. And then most recently, a message from Robin.

Jack: right on time! whats up

Robin: Hey are you done yet?

Jack: sending them now

Jack: why?

Robin: So we can call it a day?

Sean pouted, pushing himself out of his chair. 

Jack: Awww, why? 

Robin: Because when was the last time you saw sunlight sean

Jack: Ouch

Jack: Yeah i get it

His stomach grumbled.

Jack: Alriiight 

Jack: Getting food, brb

Robin: See ya

Robin: Wait are we still on for this week?

Jack: Yep!

Robin: Sweet. Till then

What did he do to deserve such a great friend?

He grabbed his bright red jacket off the couch and headed for the door, pulling it over his head. Grabbing his keys and unlocking the door, he went to face the world. 

'They're never gonna fix that elevator, are they' he grumbled, hooking a turn at the stairway and backing into the crash bar.

The city was peaceful that night. It rained earlier that day so the roads were still glistening and reflecting the store lights. Cars drove past him, splashing water on the sidewalk and occasionally getting on his feet. The dark clouds overhead rolled and rumbled, promising another chance of rain later. 

Sean breathed in the crisp blue air and relaxed. The sky really was beautiful tonight.

The warmth of the resturant clashed harshly with the briskness of outside, but he welcomed it. He ordered his food before sitting down, flashing the cashier a smile.

He just rolled his eyes and began working with the next customer.

"O..kay," Sean took this time to answer Ethan. 

Ethan: Dude this is you

Ethan: *picture*

Sean snorted.

Jack: Shut up its not!

Ethan: ;)

Jack: So hows la treating you

Ethan: Heat

Jack: Haha wonder what thats like

He chatted with him for a bit before checking his emails, since he hadn't done it all day. 

Let's see. Bills, bills, Facebook, ads, ads, cats, ads and.. wait. What was that? He tapped the tab and read the email. 

Corrupt files: please contact supervisor. 

Corrupted files may have unexpected effects on host. Please check your...

It went on for quite a bit, talking about a lot of things that went right over his head. It sounded like it was referring to his phone, but the way it was worded sounded strange, like it meant something else.  
Nevertheless.

"Confirm?"  
"Y/N?"

Sean tapped Y.

His eye started twitching. 

Ding!

"I uh, got an order for a um, Seen?"

He snapped back to reality.

"It's pr-" he started. "Yeah, yeah I'm Seen."

In no time at all, he got his food and left.

It started raining again, so he pulled up his hood and walked quickly towards his complex. 

The sky looked a lot less pretty when it was attacking you, Sean decided as he was coming into view of his apartment. He pushed the button to switch the stop light and waited for that familiar chirping sound to come on.

He was about to cross when a loud *crashhhhh* sounded from behind him. 

"JAYZUS!" He jumped, turning around to see the source of the noise. 

An empty liquor bottle came rolling out of the alleyway about twenty feet back followed by a metallic rattle and another, smaller crash. 

"Uhh, hello?" He tried, slowly walking toward the dark alley. 

Probably just a cat, he thought. Please be a cat. Please be a cat. 

"You alright?" He tried again. This time, a low, guttural hiss came from the shadows. It almost sounding like it was.. laughing?

"Oh no.." It was too late. He wanted to run but his legs had other ideas. Before he could process what was happening, Sean was being pulled deeper into the dark backstreet and he couldn't break free. There was something there, he couldn't see it but he knew he wasn't alone. That something was pulling at him, tugging at his arms and begging him to come closer. 

"Gahh!!"

He fell forward and hit his head on the pavement.

"Ghhhh!"

It wasn't a cat, he thought before he blacked out entirely.

~~~~

"Nhhhhhhh," Sean grumbled.

Why was it so cold?

"Where'm I?.." he slurred, shaking his head in hopes to shake out some of the fog. The only thing he could see was green. "Nghhhh," he rubbed his eyes. Wait..

Why was he in an alley? He yelped "Was I mugged??"

Sean stumbled to his feet, quickly checking all of his pockets. Phone, check. Wallet... check. Keys, sweet. Food? 

He glared at the shredded mess of chips and burger on the ground and the tattered bag not to far off from it. "Great," he mumbled "That's just per-fahhh!!" 

A sharp pain stabbed his skull, starting from his forehead and traveling down towards his eyes. "Nghhhh!" He stumbled forward towards the street. Sean clumsily tore off his soaking wet hoodie, not that it was doing much good, and haphazardly threw it over his shoulder. "Drrhhhhhh!!" He hissed. He wasn't sure if his hand was wet from the rain or from his eye. 

He staggered the rest of the way to his apartment, clutching his eye in pain. 

His vision was an explosion of reds, greens, and blues, everything swirling together into a colorless dance across his eyes. The crash of the door felt like nothing and the painstaking journey up the stairs took ages. What floor did he live on again? Oh yeah.

He fumbled with his keys for a good three minutes before the door finally gave.

Dumping his wet hoodie on the floor, Sean tripped and stumbled drunkenly towards the bathroom. He turned on the light to see what was wrong.

"Gah!!!" He gasped.

His eyes...

"What the??"

Were glowing?

The right eye was reddened and swollen and his iris was pulsing a bright neon green. Whatever it was also seemed to be spreading to his other eye.

He blinked. Obviously he was seeing things. He opened them again but nothing happened. He rubbed at them, but that showed the same result.

"Aahh!" More pain crawled across his face as he staggered out of the bathroom. His vision was going dark, red and blue spots danced across his vision. 

He must've tripped over something because he somehow ended up on the floor just inside his bedroom. 

"..."

It was going to be a long night.


	2. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WHAT THE FUCK

Sean woke up on the floor beside his bed with the worst hangover ever. Was it even a hangover? Did he drink at all last night? What was his name again?  
Red and green swirled through his vision, which made it hard to focus on anything.  
"Ughh" he sat up, shaking his head  
and hoping to wipe away the pain. Nope, nope. Bad idea.  
Sean shot up and ran into the bathroom, before promptly throwing up in the toilet.  
"Best way to start the morning," he thought spitefully, rubbing at his mouth.  
He shuffled to the kitchen and filled a semi clean glass with water to wash out the sour taste in his mouth.  
Afterwards, he put a pot of coffee on and threw a few pieces of bread in the toaster. He downed another swig of water along with a pepto bismol.  
He sat up on the counter, counting the seconds by the indicator light on the coffee maker.  
The toast soon popped up, quickly followed by a high pitched *beeeeep*, so he hopped off the counter and grabbed them both before migrating over to the couch.  
There was a wet squelch under his feet which made him jump a bit. It was his hoodie, tossed haphazardly on the floor the night before. 'Oh right,' he thought. That freak storm that came put of nowhere.  
Next to his jacket was his phone. He picked it up and examined it; there was a sizable crack in the protector but that was easily replaceable. Sean switched it on and almost dropped it again.  
"4:50??!" He'd missed both uploads!  
"Great. Just friggin fantastic," he groaned, swigging some coffee from the pot. He pulled up his Twitter to post a quick apology to his fans, and then speeding into his bedroom to get ready for the day.  
Now feeling slightly less dead, Sean downed the rest of the coffee and set the pot in the sink to be washed later. He then headed to his recording room to at least get *some work done. Camera up? Check. Game up and loaded? Sweet. Alright. In and out, Sean.   
In  
And out.  
"Okay and a 3, 2, 1 GO!"

As he worked, Sean could feel the tension start to leave his body and he found it easier to breathe.The pounding in his skull calmed down considerably and little by little, his strength started returning to him.  
Before he knew it, he had finished filming four whole videos! And that wasn't even counting the two that he'd uploaded earlier!  
Sean sat back with a sigh. He checked his watch to find it was 9:45. "*Some work, eh?"   
His stomach started rumbling.  
He never did eat that toast, he remembered. 

He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge and good lord when was the last time he went shopping? Let's see here, peanut butter, m&m's, a half empty jar of pickles and what he hoped was a peach.  
Now Sean didnt really feel like making a nightmare sandwich and having it exist so once more, he grabbed his keys and went out.

The roads were still wet despite not raining at all that day and the sky was clear for the first time in a while. A few stars were visible against the stark blue sky. The whole street was painted blue and it seemed that the only colors came from inside the shops.  
Sean waited for a car to pass before running to the other side. He walked for a bit more until he arrived at a little, run down establishment. Best pizza in the neighborhood if you asked him. The door let out a pleasant chime as he entered and the smell of fresh baked bread welcomed him in.  
"Heya Sean!" Said the guy behind the counter.  
"Hey Bruce" he greeted back.   
"The usual?"  
"Yeah but could you make it a large?"  
"No problem"  
"Thanks Bruce"  
As he gave him the money, Bruce jumped back, flustered.  
"Sorry man, y'kinda shocked me there." He said, grabbing the money from the floor.  
"Did I? Huh, sorry"  
"Don't worry about it." The tall man said, picking up the change he'd dropped. "Here's your receipt."  
Huh, that was weird, he thought as he sat down. He rubbed at his wrists as he waited for his food. 

Sean found himself awfully anxious but he wasn't quite sure why. His legs were bouncing, his fingers drumming on the table, his eyes darting to every little thing that twitched. The nervous looking man in the blue sweater had stopped to check his watch every thirty two seconds, poor dude. The barking of a dog a few blocks away followed by disgruntled shouts. He could clearly hear the lyrics from the music coming from one of the nearby apartments. He could perfectly see the wings of a fly circling one of the dangling lights.  
The lights. Why did they hurt?  
He was overwhelmed by just how *loud everything was. The talking, the laughing, the dinging of the door, the colors, the lights. Why were they so loud?

"Sean!"

Everything stopped. He looked up to see a very concerned looking Bruce holding a fresh pie. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be looking at them.  
"Are you okay?" 

Was he?

"Um yeah, m'fine. Haven't really eaten today, heh"  
That didn't really ease his nerves but Bruce thought it best to not push it, so he placed the pie on the table and went back to the kitchen.

"T-thank you!" Sean yelled and he was answered by a mock salute. 

It felt nice actually having food inside him and somehow Sean managed to eat the whole thing in about twenty minutes.   
"You forget to breathe or somethin?" Bruce huffed as he came over to pick up the tray.  
Sean chuckled "Absolutely. Nah I just forgot lunch today."  
"Whatever, goodnight Sean."  
"Night Bruce."

Sean left the pizzeria with a full stomach and a ding from the door. Congratulations, he thought, you're a human being. Why'd he have to live so far away? If he had to walk any farther, he'd probably have to learn how to drive. At least it wasn't raining this time, he mused. 

A high pitched piercing noise came from no where and hit Sean like a punch to the face.  
"Gah!!" He pawed at his eyes. What the-  
"Sean.. McLaughlin?"  
"Who's there?" He cried, still clawing at his face.   
"William McLaughlin?"  
"Do I know you?"  
He could vaguely see two figures down the alley coming closer to him. A man and a woman by the looks of it. They were moving oddly, like they had no choice. Soon they stopped right in front of him. 

"Sean.. William McLaughlin?" Okay now they were starting freak him out.   
"Yes! That's me! I swear if you guys say you're fans I wi-"

The man suddenly lunged at him, pulling him deeper into the backstreet, the woman standing directly behind him, blocking the way out. 

"Hey! What're you doing? Let go of me, let go!" The man's grip did not budge. He continued to limp farther down the dark road. Sean started to panic, breaking his fists up and pounding against the man's chest. That did nothing to slow him down, but he kept trying. "Let me go," He felt his hair rising on the back of his neck and his fingers start to tingle.   
"Do you understand me ya fathead? I said " He raised up his fist.

"Let go of me!"   
He clocked him right in the face, sending him across the street. "Woah what?"   
He looked down at his hands. Blazing green mist flowed around his hands with his veins shining through his skin. What's happening to him oh no is he dying? Was the pizza radioactive? Was he drunk? What's happening?

The woman clumsily but determinedly ran towards him. Right. Now's not the right time to break down, Sean. She reached out to grab him but he grabbed her first and pushed her away. She sprung back and grabbed him by the neck and pinned him down. The light from the passing cars rapidly illuminated her face. There was something definately wrong with her, Sean could tell right away, but at the moment he was more focused on not dying than on the woman trying to kill him. 

He put all of his strength into throwing her off. How was she so strong? She looked like she hasn't eaten in weeks! "Ahh! He yelled reeling back.   
"AAAGHHHH!!"   
Then everything went white. 

When he came to, she was off of him but still trying to get back up. He looked around him. For one thing, everything was on fire. Did he do that? Trash cans and discarded items were were blazing and the water on the ground was steaming. The man from earlier had recovered and was slowly making his way across the street.  
Sean ran to the back of the alley, only to be greeted by a ten foot fence. He was trapped.   
Well, he thought, I hope these zombies are up for round two. 

They both jumped at him but he dodged under them. The man swung at him but he easily side stepped it.  
The man kicked his knee and sent him down, where the woman held down his legs.   
"No!" He yelled.   
The man wrapped his arms around his waist and started to pick him up. 

"No! No no no n̷o̸ N̵̛͔̿O̴̢̻̣̎ ̵͚̼̻̻͝Ñ̸̡͕̦͊͘͝Ŏ̵̥̩̼̠̆̌́ ̷͍̺̜̠̀N̸̯͚̈̄͝O̵͉͋̇͛!̵͓̟͆" power surged through him, burning him out of their grip. He felt like he was being torn apart. He screamed out in pain while they just watched in what only could be seen as confusion. 

The street was alive with electricity, bolts of green lighting dancing across the walls. Glass from the nearby windows shattered and the ground below them started rumbling.

"A̶͇͈͚̦̬̅̔̂ A̴̘̩͇͍̋ͅ A̴̢͆ Ȁ̸̼̳̉ Ạ̵̟͕͝ Ğ̶̞̩͋̔͜͝ H̴͚͝ H̸̭̰̏̿̅̔̚ Ĥ̵̤ H̴̼͉̺̲͙̓̄̿̈́̚ H̵̛̪̠̱͋̉̉̎" 

And Sean was right in the middle of it. 

They tried to get to him but the pure power surrounding the Irishman wouldn't allow them to come closer.   
And then..  
Just as abruptly as it started  
It was over.   
The rumbling had ceased, the street had stopped hissing and it was dark once more. 

The couple stood unfazed as the the fires around then dwindled down into nothing as they looked down at the place where Sean William McLaughlin once layed.   
~~

Cold, brisk air rushed all around him, jostling him awake. He felt like he was floating on air. He opened his eyes and saw.. stars? Wasn't he in an alley?   
A large rumbling thing whizzed underneath him.   
It couldn't be.   
"British Airways" was written in dark bold lettering along the body of the plane.  
Those weren't stars. They were buildings.

"HOLY-" he was cut off by the plane shooting passed him, practically blowing out his eardrums.   
"AHHHH"  
Focus. How did this even happen? Last he checked, he was in the middle of being kidnapped!   
He felt queasy, which was understandable considering the situation. The wind tugged at his face, pulling tears out of his eyes.

This was it, he realized.  
He held his arms out in front of him, ready to accept his fate when he noticed something odd.  
His arms were still glowing slightly, the burning green mist streaming behind him. Great, he still had some of that radiation left. Huh, that was a sentence he never thought he would say.   
He focused on the burning sensation in his chest, drawing all of his power to his core. He felt worn out and overtaxed but he wouldn't be feeling anything if he'd just focus!   
He thought of home.The nest of blankets on the couch, his recording room, the kitchen. The coffee pot he hadn't washed. Power flooded all throughout him.   
He recalled him and some friends playing on his playstation when he first moved in. The God awful curtains he still hadn't gotten around to changing. The elevator that will probably never be fixed.  
His apartment.  
His home.   
He closed his eyes and dreamt. And it h̷u̶r̴t̷.  
Pure, raw force circulated through his body, pulling it out of the sky and back to the earth. 

~~~~~

Around thirty feet outside the complex, an old man was taking out the trash to the dumpsters. It was a pretty uneventful day if he were honest. Nothing really happens around here anymore.

He sighed.   
The street lamps behind him started to flicker. He opened the lid to throw the bags in when a large blast suddenly came from the building across the lane. Emerald sparks shot up from a trash bin, followed by smoke.  
There was coughing and wheezing coming from the bin, and it shook with every noise.  
A hand, followed by another came out the trash, accompanied by the rest of the man. He hopped out the dumpster and immediately keeled over.   
He gasped "Young man!"   
He didn't respond.  
"You! On the ground! Is everything alright?!"  
A moment passed.   
".. Yeah," he wheezed "s'bad day."

"Better go home while theres still light."

"Thanks.." 

~~~~  
Sean waited until he heard the door shut. Then he groggily got to his feet. Through shaking eyes, he saw the familiar glow from his apartment building across the street. He sighed with relief and started crying.  
Close enough.


	3. Rooftop Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting a grip on his newfound abilities, Sean decides to experiment.

Sean had been pacing his apartment for hours trying to wrap his mind around what exactly had happened. He was failing but that was besides the point.  
He avoided all the mirrors because what he saw made his mind go blank.

Emerald irises instead of his normal gray blue and shocking electric green hair that he had to keep pushing behind his ears.  
Iridescent webs of light exploded under the skin of his arms which didn't feel too pleasant. He couldn't avoid this if he tried.  
He couldn't stop hyperventilating, his mind stuck in a loop of what, when, and why.

What was happening to him? People don't usually shoot electricity out of their body and they certainly don't disappear and reappear thousands of feet in the air! And they don't tend to punch people across the street!

When did this happen? Dinner? Yesterday? Last week?

And why. 

Why him? 

"Why me?" He asked himself for the one hundredth time tonight.  
"Why me?" 

His reflection burned in the corner of his eyes, mocking him. Tears still tugged at his eyes and the sparks bursting from his fingertips were starting to burn into the carpet. 

"Why̡ me͡!?"  
Sean struck the counter top angrily, causing it to crack. Brilliant light poured from his eyes as he took his frustration out on his furniture. He kept punching the granite surface. 

"W̵H̶̷͠Y!" His voice crackled like radio static as he slumped down against the wall. He became numb to his surroundings. Lights switched on and off, appliances rung to life, and Sean was left breaking down on the floor amidst the chaos.

Who knows how long he layed there, panting. His eyes were screwed shut to drown out the harsh green light.

Slowly everything became calm. The lights switched on and stayed on and the kitchen equipment fell quiet. The only noise was Sean's labored breaths. 

Sean's breath hitched as he sat up. His throat hoarse and exhausted from screaming. He could bet on the landlord coming in the morning with a list of complaints but that was future Sean's problem. Now he just had to sit here and wait for the world to end. 

~

His alarm blared from the other room. Six o'clock already? Why couldn't he just switch off the day? Stay in bed? Watch some cartoons?  
"I need a break," he murmured, getting to his feet. He grabbed his phone from the other room and walked back to the kitchen. 

It took him a few tries, but eventually he was able to open the fridge and grab the old peach in there without his hands ghosting through them.  
It was a pretty surreal sight, his arm glitching and phasing erratically. His heart was still pounding a considerable amount so he forced himself to breathe until he stopped glitching entirely. 

In.  
And out.  
In.  
And out. 

His hands were still a little transparent but at least they weren't trying to leave.  
"Close enough."

He walked over to the couch and crashed on top of it and turned on the TV.

~  
"You said you wouldn't leave! And here you are w-"  
~  
"At out on the c-"  
~  
"We still have no sign of th-"  
~  
"As ye can see here, we gotta-"  
~

Wait.  
He flipped back.

"-issing persons," the newsman finished.  
"This has only added to the growing number of missing persons reports in the past few months. We'll take a moment to remind you that if you have seen any of these people in the last few weeks to contact the police immediately."  
Different photos flashed on screen of different people. Some were old, some were young, but most seemed to be homeless or street workers.  
They've been gone for up to six months according to the police and the number of filed reports was almost a hundred!  
The screen kept cycling through the pictures while the anchor described the situation further.  
"Please stay alert if you plan on going out and please alert the officers if you've seen anyone or anything. Now to Jim with t-"

Sean abruptly sat up. He scanned the screen over and over but it still didn't add up.

He *had* seen them.

On the screen showed a picture of a man and a woman smiling and happy and clean. They looked a lot healthier but there was no denying it.

They were the ones who attacked Sean. 

What should he do? Should he call the police? And if he did, what would he even say?  
"Hello, yes officer I saw two of the missing people! They were bleeding from the eyes and tried to attack me! Oh no, don't worry, I'm fine. I managed to Falcon Punch one across the street and teleport a bajillion feet in the air!"

No, that might raise questions.  
Sean figured that was enough TV for now.

His phone started vibrating, effectively distracting him. It was Robin, tweeting a picture of him at an airport next to a plane.  
"On my way!" It screamed in bold, burning letters. Oh no. Was that today?! He looked over at his crumbled countertops and groaned. There was no way he'd get around explaining that.

He responded back with, "Woohoo! Can't wait till you get here!"  
And send.  
Don't get him wrong, he loved Robin, but this couldn't have been a worse time for him to come. He didn't want to try and hug him and accidentally break his back or something.

Sean covered the counter with a table cloth as nicely as possible before declaring it as inconspicuous.  
He was about to go clean up a bit but he caught himself in the mirror. 

Baby blue eyes and chestnut brown hair. Such a stark difference from the night before. He wondered, and saw a small flicker of green dance across his irises. And with some more thought, his eyes shined once more and his hair turned back into a bright acidic emerald. 

Something sparked in him, turning his fear into curiosity. 

Huh.  
He then fixated on his hands, trying to recreate the glitching thing they did earlier. It was a shaky process, but he finally managed to do it. And with a bit more thought, he got his arm to reappear on the other side of the room. 

"Haha!" Sean chuckled weakly as he watched the glowing yellow veins dash across his arms.

He could go further, he thought.  
This could be interesting.

"Alrighty then," He muttered to himself, "let's get to the bottom of this."

~~

Sean yelled down a taxi, the wheels skimming across the pavement toward him.  
"Good morning sir, where'dya need to go?" The driver's monotonous voice greeted him as he entered.  
"Uhh, East Street please."  
He sighed and gestured to the door.

The cabman didn't try to prompt Sean in conversation, which was fine by him. So they drove in silence. 

Sean had looked up various clothing stores that might have stuff that he'd need. What he'd need, he didn't know yet. Something ordinary enough so people wouldn't notice him but something that preferably wouldn't be able to catch on fire. 

A short ride later, Sean payed the cabman and bid him goodbye. He nodded his head slightly and took off. 

~~

He pulled out his phone and looked for the clothing shops he had marked. There wasn't much that would fit his requirements. Mainly just fashion outlets with a few stray antique stores and costume shops in between. Not much to work with but this was only one part of town.  
He fixated on a very worn out looking building, appropriately called the Boss. Sean figured that'd be a good place to start.  
He was wrong, but now he knew where to get suits for a fairly reasonable price.

He went on from there, crisscrossing the streets and gazing through store windows, trying to find a suitable outfit. 

Finally, Sean stumbled onto a lovely, rustic looking building with large windows and very comfortable looking and sturdy clothes draped on the mannequins. 

As he entered, he got blasted by a strong overly sweet perfume smell. There were colorful lights all over the place that effectively made the otherwise gloomy room dance with life. Every wall was covered in different kinds of clothing.

"Can I help you sir?" a woman at the register poked her head out from behind a clothing rack. 

"Um, yeah," he shuffled for his phone. "Do you have anything kind of like this?"  
He pulled up a picture that he had scribbled earlier.  
She came over to see it.

"Hmm maybe. Why, convention in town or somethin?"

"Y-yes," he lied, "my friends and I are going as superheroes."

"Nice. Yeah I think we might have something, follow me."

She gestured him to the back of the store where a few different styles of jackets were hanging.

"Anything in particular?" She asked.

"I'm kinda liking this one," he pointed to a bright red bomber jacket hanging on the bottom rack.  
"But do you have it in other colors? This one seems a little… loud."

"No. Unfortunately that's our last one."

"Alright."  
Well, there goes inconspicuous, he supposed. But if the shoe fits. Or in this case, the jacket.

"I'll take it."

"Alrighty! Right this way, sir."

A few minutes later left Sean walking out holding a bag with a ridiculously red jacket inside and looking for the next item on his list. 

If he was going to do this, people couldn't see his face. He needed a mask. Unfortunately, the Halloween sales around town had already ended so that wouldn't do and his phone was about to die so he didn't want to risk ordering one online. 

He kept going while he pondered the thought. A few kids ran in front of him, carrying along a very tired looking mom out of a store.  
Then it hit him.

Gapkids.

They have that kind of thing right? He spun on his heel and went in to find out.  
This time there was a tired looking kid at the checkout who was scrolling through his phone. Sean cleared his throat to get his attention. 

"Hm?"  
"Hi um, do you guys still have any Halloween stuff left?" Sean plastered on his biggest, politest smile.

"I dunno, check over there," he shrugged, going back to his phone.

"Thanks,"

He went to the clearance section, which was stuffed with old kids clothes and cheap costumes.  
He dug around in the costume bin until he pulled out a bright blue mask. The material was cheap and the strap looked like it was about to break but this was only going to be a temporary fix. 

"Anything else we can do for you today?" The kid asked when Sean came back up.

"Nope! Thank you so much!"

He rung him up.  
"Whatever."

Sean exited the store and looked the mask over again. 

Adrenaline and a newfound excitement rushed through him as he waded through the crowd all around him. Without a second thought, he ducked into a gap between two buildings, nicely tucked away from view.  
Making sure he wasn't seen, Sean eagerly snatched the jacket from the bag along with the mask and put them on. The coat was comfy, if a bit gaudy, and the hood covered a fair portion of his face. And with the mask on, half of his face was covered.  
"No one will know man," he assured himself. 

His phone started ringing.  
Robin? He picked up.

"Yeah?"  
"Hey man," Robin sighed, "there's been a delay, its gonna be a few more hours."

He leaned against the wall.  
"Ouch. Any reason why?"  
"Yeah, something about the pilot or something. So we're sitting here waiting for a new one."

"That sucks,"  
"Yep. Well, I'll call you before we take off, gotta appointment with trash TV right about now."

"Ahaha! Stay safe man."

"Will do. See ya, Sean."  
"Bye," *beep!* 

That was odd, but he'd had weirder things happen on planes.

Okay Sean, you got this.  
He pocketed his phone and peeked out at the street. People bustling around on their phones, holding bags of goods and groceries. The midday rush had only just started. Nobody would be paying attention!

He took a deep breath and cleared his head, focusing on a rooftop across the street. He imagined himself on top of it, he willed himself to be. Deep breaths, now. His heartbeat hammered the insides of his skull. His blood pulled him towards the building. He closed his eyes and commanded his body to move. Shocks and pins stabbed all over his body and when his eyes opened up, he had a clear view of the sky. 

"Haha!" He breathed out, looking over the edge onto the street.  
"I did it! Hahaha!"

He tried again, aiming for a taller building a few blocks away. A prickling sensation crawled up his arms as he again pushed himself to glitch.

Again, Sean opened his eyes and found himself somewhere entirely new.

"Yes!" He cheered. "WOO!"

He continued hopping from rooftop to rooftop, getting more confident with each bound. And he just kept going, across roads and countryside until he was well past Brighton.

His knees were wobbly as he'd burned through all of his energy. He sat down and gulped in the fresh air. It tasted urban, like gasoline trying to hide behind a mask of coffee and tobacco. Completely different from Sean's neighborhood. 

Then it hit him. 

"Where am I?"

He twisted around, taking in his surroundings.  
A. He landed on top of a building. A flat house or a dormitory by the looks of it. Grimy gravel covered in trash and cigarette buds at his feet and a broken view of the sky above him.  
B. He was definitely in another city, every building was unfamiliar. The air was different and it seemed more alive than Brighton.  
And C. He wasn't alone up here.

There was a person sitting across from him, leaning against the railing and holding their head in their hands. They hadn't seemed to notice him. They were shaking violently, as if they'd been hurt.

Oh, um, he wasn't sure what to do. He should back up and leave before they saw him. He couldn't help them anyway. 

"Hey," he said instead. 

They stopped shaking.  
"What," came a soft, scratchy voice.

He stepped closer.  
"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure-"

"I said I'm fine!" They snapped before he could finish.

"Woah, okay. 'M sorry," 

For a moment, the only sounds were the cars driving below.  
"Hey, um," he spoke up again, quieter.  
"This is gonna sound weird but um, where are we?"

The distressed person looked up, obviously confused.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"Yeah. Where are we?" He tried again "Kind of lost track of time and just ended up here. 

They sniffled, calming down a bit.  
"Thornton Heath, man, you okay?"

"Yeah I'm just… Wait did you say.." he lumbered over to the edge, overlooking the town.

"That's in Croyden, right? Are you saying we're in Croyden?"

"..Yeah?"

Oh man, he really got off track, didn't he.

"Huh, overshot that one."

He stumbled a bit, his knees growing tired from running.

"Hey, mind if I join you?"

They thought for a moment, still not sure what was happening.  
Then they sighed and took a swig from a bottle next to them.  
"Go ahead."  
"Thanks," he crumbled onto the rocky floor.

They sat in silence together, which left Sean feeling antsy. It was too quiet.

"So," he tried, "what brings you up here?"  
They shrugged.

"I dunno. I needed to leave, I guess."  
"Leave from where?"

Sean knew he shouldn't have asked, especially when they tensed up like a coil.

"I'm sorry," he snapped back, "I shouldn't ask-"

"It's fine man," they stopped him. "Everything's fine. Just happened at the worst possible time and I need to do something but I dont know what to do and I-I-"  
Something in them broke, sending them into tears. They rested their head harshly on his shoulder, soaking it instantly.

"I- I don't know what to do"

In this moment, neither did Sean. He didn't really know how to deal with this sort of thing. Cautiously, he reached a hand over and slowly brought them into an awkward hug.

"I don't think anyone does," he kept his voice quiet.  
"That's what makes things interesting."

They held onto him as if they were afraid he was going to disappear.

"Hey. It's going to be alright."

That didn't seem to help. They were still heaving and wheezing. 

"Hey man, what's going on?" He tried instead. 

They let go, sniveling.

"It hurts. It hurts to do anything anymore. It hurts seeing my friends so happy when I'm stuck in the sides like someone at a movie! I can't remember why I moved away, I miss my bed. I can't I- I"

They arched over, dry heaving.  
"Woah woah! Calm down!" 

"I'm sorry," the person choked out.  
"Crying to a complete stranger, that's a new low."

"There's nothing wrong with crying for help, I don't think I'm the right person to go to but that's just about the smartest thing you can do."

They looked up at him, their eyes puffy and Illuminated by the street lights.

"Keeping all of that junk to yourself is like, um, keeping your milk even though it's sour?"

"Heheh," they smiled softly "that makes a weird amount of sense. But what do I do?" 

"Find someone who will listen," he helped them up to their feet. "Two heads are better than one and all that."

They stood there for a bit, both not sure what to say next. The person looked like they were about to start crying again, but they seemed more sure of themselves. It was gonna be alright.

They rushed him into a vice-like hug, nearly crushing the wind out of him.

"Thanks."

"Ow! Hahh, you're welcome, I guess."

They started heading towards the stairwell door, only turning around once.  
"Y'know," they said, propping the door open "I feel like I know you from somewhere. Ha-have we met before?"

Sean looked down and saw their Booper Dooper sweater lit up in the road's light. He smiled.

"You know what? I think you have."

He didn't even wait for them to turn back around for the green sparks to start flaring up. He beamed and gave them a wave goodbye.  
It was quite a beautiful sight. A bright light show right on their apartment. And within a moment, the weirdo on the roof disappeared like a ghost.  
They stood there in astonishment and confusion.

"What just happened?"

~~~

The jump back took longer than he anticipated.  
The sun had set almost entirely by the time he saw his complex. He sat down on top of the next door building and checked his phone. 

"Hey man where are you?" He sent  
A few seconds passed before the message indicator bubbled up.

"Almost there, just down the road"

And yep, there it was. A came a cab turning the corner and stopped in front of the building next to him.

Panic rose in Sean as he sent a text saying to come on up.

He had a clear shot of his room, one last hop. And with one last jolt of determination, he clipped through the walls and landed on his bed.  
Without second thought, Sean peeled off the mask and the jacket, shoving them under his bed.  
Taking one final look around his place, Sean sat and waited for the door to knock.


	4. Facinating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Such a shame, everything was going so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the prologue! We're getting into the deep shit now lads!

"Robin!" Sean cheered when he came through the door.   
"Hey hey!" He dropped his bag on the floor and brought Sean into a hug.  
"Haha, welcome to the mess. How was the trip, man?"

"Ugh, don't get me started. Seems like anything that could've gone wrong did at the same time. It's like something didn't want me to come here or something."

He tiredly walked over to the couch, Sean making sure to stay in between him and the shattered counter. 

"Just don't wake me up and we'll be fine," he said, flopping face-first on the couch. 

"Y'good man?"

A muffled confirmation came from the cushions closely followed by snoring.

"Been a long day for both of us, I guess."

Sean grabbed a pillow and blanket from the closet and carefully draped it over him.

"Goodnight, dude," he sighed, switching off the lights. 

He swapped into some pajamas and fell onto his bed. It was impossible trying to get comfortable. His mind was just so active and awake that even blinking was a traitorous act. His brain was shouting at him all the possibilities of what was happening to him. He couldn't hide for long. He knew that. There was no way that this would end well. He groaned. 

Sleep didn't come for a while.

~~  
Waking up felt even harder than falling asleep. He struggled to keep his eyes opened as he felt around for his phone.  
He fell ungracefully out of bed and landed with an "oomf".  
As he got up, he saw a quick flash of bright red from under his bed. He didn't want to think about it.

He was interrupted by a loud snore coming from the other room. He forgot he wasn't alone. Sean poked his head out into the living room to find a bundled- up figure on the couch, snoring loudly. Only his feet and hair were visible. He chuckled and went back to his room to get ready.

Getting dressed was a chore when running on a few hours of sleep, but Sean pushed past it. He fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, and went to check on Robin again. 

"So I was thinking we could start by recording-" He walked into the living room to be greeted by a Robin who was still out cold.

"Uh. Hello?" He tried.   
"Earth to Pixlpit? Roooooobiin, come 'ooon man. We have thiiiings to do," nothing.   
"Geez," he backed off into the kitchen, where he remembered his shopping list. He had forgotten all about it and yep, the only thing he could find food wise was the junk in the fridge and an old box of spaghetti noodles.   
"Whoops," he said. That won't do.

He snatched a sheet of printer paper and a sharpie and scribbled down a note for Robin when he woke up. After grabbing his phone and placing the note lovingly on Robin's face, Sean left once more. 

It only took him about an hour to get groceries and come back. Robin was up by the time he came back, sitting at the table.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty! How was the couch?"

Robin chuckled.  
"It was fine, but I woke up with this hanging out of my mouth," he held up the note.

"Had to put it somewhere you could see it," he shrugged slyly, slacking the grocery bags off his arms. He turned on the coffee maker and started to put the food away. 

"So, I was thinking we could start with the Reading Your Comments and then go into the challenge vids," Sean explained, pulling out eggs and milk to put in the fridge.

"And tomorrow we can get some playthroughs done before we get started on editing," Robin added from behind his mug.

"Exactly. Sorry about the lack of food, want me to whip something up before we get started?"

"That sounds awesome," he laughed.

Everything was alright.  
He smashed a few eggs unexpectedly and startled Robin by cracking the counter a bit when he accidentally gripped it too hard, but it was nothing he couldn't brush off.  
It's fine. 

~~

Spending time with Robin almost made Sean forget about everything. It all just seemed to fade back into reality after he fell through crazy town. Recording felt... normal. And he needed that. He needed something ordinary.

That left the two of them walking down town to a cafe that Sean had recommended. They had gotten quite a lot of work done and decided to take a lunch break.

"No way," he continued, "there is no way the remake was better than the original."

“I’m telling you man! The plot line was more realistic and they fixed multiple plot holes in it!” Sean followed alongside him. The door dinged behind them.

“There was nothing wrong with the plot, you just couldn’t wrap your small head around it!”

Sean gasped dramatically.

“Insulted. By my best friend! For shame, Robin, for shame.”  
They both laughed and sat down at a booth.

It was a nice place, quiet and homey, and it always smelled like coffee and chips. Relaxed chatter from other customers filled the room. Music played overhead and the TV in the corner murmured away about sports, and it all blended together into a pleasant white noise.

“Wait ‘till you try the bread, man. They make it from scratch!”  
“Is that why we walked five blocks to get here?” Robin laughed again.  
“Yes,” he deadpanned.

They continued talking until their food came.

"Thank you, miss. Oh, more chips, please?" Sean asked as the waitress walked away.   
He dove into the fresh batch of chips.

It took him a moment to realize that Robin had stopped talking. He looked up and saw him staring back with a concerned look. 

"What's wrong?" He tried. 

"Dude are you alright? That's the sixth plate of chips you've ordered."

Oh. He didn't realize. He vaguely recalled something similar happening the other day at the pizza restaurant. Did it have something to do with his new.. predicament? Probably, seeing as he was still hungry.

"Um, told ya?" Robin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Best chips in town!" He laughed nervously. 

"Right. Maybe next time you'll actually let me try some," he was smiling but the worry was still visible in his eyes. 

"You'll just have to beat me to it!" 

Stupid.

They continued to eat in silence until the waitress brought them a check.

"Let me," said Robin, "you've al--" 

Sean knew Robin was talking but he couldn't hear him. His eyes were attached to the screen nearest to them. It was a news reporter, discussing reports on stuff that happened throughout the day. But the video that was playing in the corner...

Oh no.

"It really is an odd sight," the reporter stated, "This anonymous clip shows what appears to be a bolt of green lightning flashing in the sky. The same lighting was also spotted a second time not long after, a few miles away. That's not the weirdest part, though. If you pay attention, it almost sounds like someone screaming.-"   
The TV was turned down as to not interrupt the patrons but Sean heard it clear as day.  
They found him. 

"Some call it a joke, just a gag someone sent us to get on the news. Others say that the footage shown is real, unmodified and definitely something to be wary of. What are your thoughts, Jim?"  
It switched to another anchorman, appearing next to the videos.  
The clips shown showed a bright flash in the sky, appearing above an airplane. It disappeared shortly after that. 

Oh no no no.

"Well I don't know about you, but I think they look very convincing-"

No, no no no no no no no no-

"Sean!" 

He snapped back. Robin was looking at him, concern all over his face. He swallowed down the knot in his throat. 

"You good, man? You zoned out pretty hard there. What're you even looking at?" He started turning around. Sean quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him back. 

"No," he whispered.

Robin shook his arm out of his grip. "Why? what's wrong, my hair messed up or something?" 

"Don't," he tried again. "Please." Why did everything have to be so loud? Tears pulled at his eyes.   
"Can we go home?"

Robin nodded knowingly. "Yeah man, let's get you home."

Sean was silent on the walk back. Robin didn't think to mention it. 

~~  
Sean fell down face first onto the couch.  
"Oomph."

Robin pushed his legs off so he could sit down instead. He tapped Sean on the shoulder. 

"Hey, are you feeling better?"

A muffled noise came from the cushions, then Sean pushed himself up so he was sitting too. 

"Yeah. I.. sorry," he sighed.

"No no," Robin interrupted. "It's normal dude, it looked like it was just an anxiety attack. Those aren't a joke."

Sean nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He tried. 

"No, Robin," he grumbled "I'm fine. 'S just anxiety, I'm fine."

He got up from the couch and started towards his room.

"Sorry. I think I'll just take a nap or something. You alright with that?"

Robin sighed.  
"You know where to find me man."

"Thanks Robin."

"Any time."

Sean closed the door behind him and fell down against it. Small bursts of light shakily pulsated all down his arms. He decided to focus on that instead.   
He wasn't even sure why he was panicking. Sure they *caught* him on camera but they didn't *know* that it was him. He watched the neon colors trickle down his arms like water. What would he do if they did find out? What would he do if Robin did? He didn't want to think about it. But what if?

Losing it won't do anything, Sean, he told himself. You need to calm down.

He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs completely before exhaling.  
In.  
And out.  
In.  
And out.

Come on, Jackieboy, you got this. 

He stayed there for a while, contemplating whether he should get up to go to bed. The thought was interrupted by the bright red peeking out from under his bed.

He could hear Robin outside furiously working on his laptop. Knowing him, he wouldn't move for hours.

He supposed sleep could wait.


	5. Up The Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his initial freakout at the diner, both Sean and Robin are on edge. Sean because he needs to figure this out fast and Robin because he's worried about his friend.
> 
> Sorry about not posting this sooner. This particular chapter has been giving me a lot of trouble so that's why it's shorter

Sean stood up while still eyeing the jacket. The quiet clacks of the computer keys were still somehow audible through the closed door.

The scenarios of the past week kept flashing through his mind. The diner, the zombies, the alley. Wait.

"The alley," he gasped. "Of course."

That's where it all led back to. All of the weirdness happening to him traced back to that place. He knew what he needed to do.

Without further thought, he grabbed the jacket and the mask out from under the springs. He checked on Robin one last time before slipping them back on.

Sleeping would have to wait.

He crept out of the window slowly, trying not to arouse suspicion. He just needed a clear shot of the street. The terrace creaked lightly as he leaned further over it. Almost got it, and... NOW! Suddenly he was no longer on the balcony. Instead, he was standing on the sidewalk. The familiar static feeling washed over him. Sweet.

Thunder roared in the distance. He would have to be quick.

The alley looked exactly the same as it did a few days ago, and from a normal eye, it looked exactly like one would expect an alley to look. Trash and rain sludge were splattered haphazardly in the middle, and rubbish bins sat next to the escape door.

The food he had that night, however, was gone, save a few paper scraps. Probably just a cat, he thought. He hoped.

"Where are you?" He wondered out loud. Everything was so infuriatingly normal! Where was the light? The laughter? There has to be something here, right?

Nothing.

"Dammit," he growled, kicking at an old carton on the ground. It clattered down the lane rapidly.

He turned back, defeated, and started to head home before Robin realized he was gone.

That was when he heard the screaming.

He stopped dead in his tracks, taken aback. It was faint and far away, but definitely real, and definitely afraid. Sean didn't stop to think. He took off down the road, towards the protest a few blocks away. It got louder. His legs disappeared beneath him and reappeared again on the buildings above.

Hurry up, Sean, he screamed at himself.

The noise got louder and louder, the pleas of help drowning out the rest of the world's chatter. He had gotten so involved in the chase that he almost ran right past it.

He abruptly crash-stopped on a complex, overlooking a dim backstreet filled with dumpsters and crushed cigarettes.

A woman was on the ground, viciously kicking at a tall, intimidating man above her. He was closing in on her.

Sean glitched down quietly, landing behind a trash can. Okay, now what, genius? Looking at him down at this level, the man was a lot bigger than Sean had thought. He really hadn't thought this out.

"Uh. Hey!" He shouted shakily. The man stopped and turned around.

"What," he said.

"G-get away from h-her," he tried.

That got a laugh out of him.

"That right?"

"Uh.. Yeah?" He put his fists in front of his face, trying to keep his shaking under control.

The man walked up to him; he towered over Sean like a Rottweiler over a rat. He gulped.

"Nice mask," the man joked, looking down at him, "really brings the superhero look together."

"You need to leave. Now."

The man was right over him now, blocking his view of everything behind him. He laughed again.

"Yeah, how 'bout I kill you instead?" A switchblade thwipped out from under his sleeve and slashed out towards Sean's face.

He yelped and jumped out of the way, the blade only nicking the skin. The man pulled back and prepared to swing again. Sean reared back and punched him in the gut. He fell back with a groan.

"You're gonna die!" He jumped back up with anger and swung at him again. Sean squawked awkwardly and glitched away from him.

"What the-" he looked around, spotting Sean standing right next to him with a smile and glowing eyes.

"Told ya," he said, raising a sparking fist.

*POW*

Sean punched him square in the face, knocking him forward into the ground.

Sean panicked a bit when the mugger didn't get up. He hastily checked for a pulse. It was quiet, but thankfully still there. The poor dude will wake up with one hell of a headache, but that's what happens when you're a criminal.

He propped the guy against the wall and turned to go home when a clack of shoes came from behind him. The woman who was attacked stood away from Sean, gawking at him. He looked down at the mugger and back up at her, he offered an awkward smile.

"I um," he shifted uncomfortably, "I'm just gonna go."

"Wait!"

'Run!' his brain shouted at him. Every moment he stayed was another moment closer to being discovered. "Gotta go!"

"Wait!" She called again. "You're my hero."

That made him falter. He turned around to face her, studying the look of awe on her face. He felt a tug in his chest and light in his veins.

"S-stay safe," he stammered. And then he vanished.

He wasn't sure how far he jumped. He was still processing what she had said. A hero? He skidded to a stop on some loose gravel. The cold night air bit at his face as he raised a shaking hand to tear off his hood. When did he start shaking?

Everything that had happened to him suddenly caught up to him. The sheer absurdity of it all hit him like the plane he had narrowly missed. He got into a fight… and won. He saved a person in trouble, and she called him a hero. He had superpowers.

He was a superhero.


End file.
